A sensation of painful heat is elicited within an individual when the individual touches interlaced warm and cold bars with their skin. The sensations of pain and temperature have been analogized to the burning sensation that accompanies touching extremely cold objects.
One of the prevailing explanations of this burning sensation is that the perception of “heat” is a fusion of sensations resulting from simultaneous activation of warm and cold sensors within the body. Modern physiological findings have confirmed the existence of separate cutaneous receptors for warm and cold. It is interesting to note that the cutaneous receptors which are associated with a cold sensation appear to be activated by low and high temperatures.
A thermal grill is a device that includes interlaced warm and cold portions which are able to cause pain to an individual without causing physiological damage when the individual touches the interlaced warm and cold portions. The relative size, shape, design, configuration, temperature and orientation of the interlaced warm and cold portions may be varied in order to adjust the level of pain that can be generated within an individual that touches the thermal grill with their skin.
A typical thermal grill is unable to provide any warning that the thermal grill should not be touched. Therefore, an individual will feel pain upon touching a thermal grill unless the individual recognizes the thermal grill and avoids touching it.
In addition, thermal grills do not typically provide any indication other than the pain that is generated within the individual touching the thermal grill that contact has actually been made with the thermal grill. As an example, if an individual is wearing gloves, or engages the thermal grill with some other device, there may be no indication that the thermal grill has been contacted.
As discussed above, the thermal grill operates effectively due to the temperature difference between the warm and cold portions of the thermal grill. One of the drawbacks with existing thermal grills is that this temperature difference can not be adjusted from remote locations.
There is a need for a system that includes a thermal grill where the system is able to provide some indication that the thermal grill should not be contacted and/or has been contacted. The system should also be able to adjust the temperature difference between the warm and cold portions of the thermal grill from a remote location.